By: Monique Muldrow
Litha is a UX professional with 15 plus years in user experience. Her passion for user-centered design and her creative edge establish her as a leader in her field. Her emphasis is on understanding business goals and aligning them with end-user goals and behaviors to create simple, intuitive and usable interfaces. She boasts a strong background in web and mobile space which is set apart by her fine arts and multi-media background.
Tell us a little bit about your technical expertise and how you ended up with that skillset.
Studied conceptual art and technology in college. After college, I started working as web designer. As time went on, I started realizing that my passion for web experience had less to do what I thought was‘right’ and more to do with what actually worked for the user.
Where did you grow up?
San Francisco Bay Area.
Which do you prefer, coffee or tea?
Tea.
Favorite hobbies?
Mountain biking, hiking, skiing.
Favorite Movie or TV Show, or Book?
Books- anything SciFi.
Movies, I love ‘The Shinning’, ‘The Tenant’, and ‘2001 a Space Odyssey’.
Where does your allegiance lie? Apple, Microsoft, Google or [Other]?
I don’t have an allegiance, but I usually prefer Google.
IPhone or Galaxy?
Galaxy.
If you could choose anyone, who would you pick as your mentor?
There are so many, but right now I would be happy to spend time with anyone of the following individuals; Dr. Susan Weinschenk, Jessie James Garret, Dr. Tyson Neil Degrasse, and if he were still alive, Dr. Ulric Neisser.
Describe your earliest computing or Internet memory.
I was in 6th grade. My dad had built out first computer. After school, instead of letting me hangout with my friends, he would make me key-in lines of code he had written. The experience made me hate computers until college when I started playing around with Hypercard.
Do you have a pet?
2 dogs: T-Bone and Ozzy-Bone.
What software or websites couldn't you live without?
Google calendar/docs/gmail, Axure. However, the number one thing I cannot live without is SMS.
Favorite Sport?
Basketball.
Star Wars or Star Trek? Answer VERY carefully (we take this stuff seriously)...
Original Star Trek.
Who is your favorite artist/musician?
I do not have a favorite, but I love Eagles of Death Metal, Cheap Trick, Buzzcocks, Queen, ELO, and Boston to name a few.
What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten?
Prioritize your time and make sure that includes time for yourself and the people and things you love.
What was your first job?
Delivering the Argus newspaper.